Entwined
by Alberta-Sunrise
Summary: My take on events after the season finale. Geralt has finally met Cirilla, but his joy has been hiding how dire his wound is. Who will save him?
1. Chapter 1

So here is my take on what happens after Cirilla and Geralt finally meet. I hope you enjoy and please do let me know what you think

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Destiny 

Geralt wondered whether to trust his eyes he walked towards the princess, her white hair bouncing about her shoulders as she ran. She stopped in her tracks, staring at him with a mixture if disbelief and relief before she finally drew herself into his open arms. He held her there, his keen hearing picking up the sound of her slowing heart as she allowed herself to finally feel safe.

'People linked by destiny will always find each other.' he said as he continued to hold her close, a mixture of emotions washing over him.

Cirilla pulled away and looked up into his golden eyes, a small smile touching his lips as he returned her gaze. His expression changed as she gave him a quizzical look.

'Who is Yennefer?' she asked, taking the Witcher by surprise.

'How do you know that name?' he replied

'The same way I knew what you looked like. I had a vision of you calling her name.' continued the princess

'She is an old friend.' replied Geralt as he stepped back, wincing as his wound sent pain shooting down his leg.

Cirilla saw this and grabbed his arm with one hand and seeing the bandage and attempting to grab it with the other.

'Leave it,' he said as he batted her hand away.

She looked at him with sad eyes before her gaze dropped to the leaf-littered floor.

'It's nothing, I am fine. It will heal with time.' he replied as he placed a comforting arm around the young girl's shoulders 'come, let us find my horse and be away.'

Cirilla smiled as she followed the Witcher, her hand in his. The sound of voices floated on the air as they stepped over the leaves and branches that covered the forest floor. Soon their eyes were greeted by the faces those voices belonged. The farmer and his wife who had helped the princess jogging through the wood with worked expressions etched into their features.

'Butcher I thought you had wandered off, delirious with fever.' said the man as he stopped, placing his hands on his thighs as he attempted to catch his breath.

The woman said nothing, just smiled at Cirilla before looking at Geralt and studying him with uncertain eyes.

'You must be the young girl my wife was just telling me about?' he piped up as he straightened himself up again.

The princess smiled and nodded, her eyes then flicking to Geralt who still help her hand firmly in his.

'Come, butcher, you should rest.' said the man as he turned to walk back from where he had come from 'I have got my boy to poor you some ale, you need it.' he jested as he hobbled back, followed closely by his wife whose gaze get flitting between the path and the princess.

After a short trek, they returned to the house where Roach stood patiently waiting for his master to return. The Witcher limped to his steed and gave him a pat on the neck, a smile crossed his lips.

'Good boy Roach, ever faithful.'

'You talk to your horse?' questions Cirilla as she watched him closely

'Sometimes it can be months between conversations with others, need to stay sane somehow.' the man joked as he turned to look at the princess, his golden eyes standing out in stark contrast to their grey surroundings.

The princess did not say anything else, just watched the Witcher tend to his horse. She saw him falter slightly as he momentarily put weight onto his injured leg. He let out a moan of discomfort, grabbing Roach's saddle to steady himself.

'Geralt?' she said as she darted to his side, ready to catch him if he fell.

'I'm fine, just lost my balance is all.' he replied, smiling at her weakly before turning his attention to the farmer's son who stood close by with a tankard of ale held in his shaky hand.

'My father tol' me to bring you this, sir.' he said, his voice cracking as fear consumed it.

'Thank you.; replied Geralt as he walked towards the boy, taking that tankard and watching the boy scurry back into the house.

The Witcher chuckled to himself before lifting his head slightly as the farmer emerged from the house.

'Come now butcher, rest a while.' he said

'I think we should be going now.' He replied, looking at the princess.

'We?' The man questioned.

'Geralt was a friend of my grandmothers, she asked me to seek him out just before she died. It seems fate brought us together.' Replied Cirilla as she smiled at Geralt.

The farmer opened his mouth as if to reply but could not find the words and so he reported to nodding in response.

'Still, you should rest, you were almost dead not all that long ago.' replied the farmer

Geralt said nothing, leaping on to his saddle and lending his hand down to the princess so that she could get on behind him.

'Thank you for your help. Your debt has been more than paid.' Replied the Witcher as he nodded his head before giving Roach a nudge to walk on.

Cirilla waved as they trotted off into the woods, leaving the farmer and his slightly tearful wife in their wake. The sun began to fail in the sky as the pair rode through the darkening woodland.

'Why did that man call you Butcher?' Cirilla asked as she tried to catch Geralt's gaze.

'Because of a day that was filled with unnecessary bloodshed.' he replied frankly.

The continued on then is silence but Geralt's vision was starting to blur, he could feel the poison start to take hold again which only confirmed his suspicions, he had never been healed by his mother. He squeezed his eyes in an attempt to pull himself away from the darkness that tugged at his mind, but it was a battle that he was losing. He could feel the ground pulling him toward it and it was then that he realized he was falling. His shoulder connected with the floor as unconsciousness snatched away his senses, leaving him unresponsive on the forest floor. The princess had watched in horror as Geralt had fallen from the saddle, leaping from the saddle as he hit the floor with a thud.

'Geralt? Geralt!' she said frantically as she shook her protector vigorously 'please wake up… please.' She pleaded as tears filled her eyes.

His forehead glittered as a fever began to take hold again, the poison consuming him as his heart began to race.

'I just found you, you can't leave me alone now.' she continued, her hands cupping his face as her tears streamed down her cheeks.

The Witcher shook as the fire within him, burned like wildfire but his teeth chattered like he was as cold as ice. The princess rocked back and forth as she watches the man succumbed to his wound. Hours past and she was pulled from her thoughts and she turned to see the last person she expected, the woman who had taken her in, astride the black horse young Ned had been brushing just last night. The woman edged closer, her eyes wide when she noticed that Geralt was losing his battle.

'What are you doing here?' Questioned Cirilla as she stood to greet her.

'My husband told me he was bit by a Ghoul. I heard the stories, he's lucky to be alive but I had a feeling in me bones that he weren't right when you left.' She replied as she hopped down from her horse and slipped to his side, placing a cool hand to his head.

'His fever is raging, he needs medicine or he shall not make it much longer.' She stated 'where were you headed?'

'Snodden' Cirilla replied, her eyes not leaving Geralt.

'Well you need to get him to a healer and soon, or this poison will kill him.'

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I intend on doing one more chapter, will write it and see what it happens. In the mean time let me know what you thought of this chapter and I'll get the next one up soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Apologies for this taking ages. Hope it was worth the wait.

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Fate

Cirilla sat at Geralt's side and watched as he shook from fever. She clung to his hand, her lips resting on his fingers as she silently prayed that he not be taken from her. She had known this man but a few hours yet she felt so connected to him as a daughter would be to her father. The farmer's wife had ridden off not long after Geralt had collapsed in hope of finding a healer but she was yet to return. The Princess smiled at the thought of her. She wondered why the lady had taken such pity on her. There must have been many Cintran orphans that had crossed her path yet she had chosen to take pity on her. Cirilla returned her attention to the Witcher that lay before her, he had begun to stir, grunting deeply as he fought to open his eyes. Finally, he won the battle and he was rewarded with the sight of Cirilla looming over him, her blue-green eyes locked on his amber ones.

'Hello.' he said gruffly as he weakly pushed himself up slightly.

'Hello.' she said softly as she smiled at him, her smile reaching to her eyes as she sat back down into her hard seat 'Zola has gone to fetch a healer, she should be back soon.'

'No healer will be able to help me.' said Geralt, wincing as he moved his leg which then erupted in burning pain.

'What do you mean?' she asked, her brows knitted together in confusion.

'A ghoul's bite is beyond the skill of any healer Zola will find.'

'Oh.' replied Cirilla as her eyes drifted down and focused on her hand that was still clutching his for dear life.

His eyes started to drift open and closed again as the welcoming embrace of oblivion held its arms open for him. His eyes flitted between Cirilla and the wooden ceiling above. He came to focus on a knot in the wood, tracing its unique lines in an attempt to fight darknesses grasp. His fever continued to rage and he shivered as sweat rolled from his face down his neck and saturated the pillow beneath him. He jumped as he felt a sudden cold pressure on his brow but relaxed when he realised it was Cirilla moping his face with a cool cloth. The cold material felt wonderful against his skin, he leaned into it but realised that darkness was winning. He balled his free hand into a fist as he fought but it was in vain. His eyes rolled back as his consciousness left him and oblivion took hold.

'Geralt?' said Cirilla as she dropped that cloth and took his burning face in her hands.

She heard talking coming from the other room and she allowed herself to take her eyes of her saviour and look over her shoulder. Zola had returned with a young man who was hot on her heels. His ears were pointed with dark hair and bright blue eyes. He looked at Geralt as if he had seen the man before, his eyes wide at the site of the Witcher's shivering form.

'This is Chireadan.' said Zola as she motioned for him to enter the room 'he overheard me in the village when I was asking around for a healer. Apparently they're acquainted.'

'And how is that supposed to help him?' spat Cirilla, immediately regretting her tone.

'I am a healer young one.' he said as he stepped further into the room, sidestepping past Zola and perching himself on the edge of Geralt's bed.

He peeled back the sheet that lay over him and unwrapped the bandage on his leg. The wound was an ugly mess. The bite was jagged and had turned black as the poisoned spread through the Witcher's body. He pulled a face of disgust and sucked air through his teeth as he opened his pack that sat on his lap and started to rummage through its contents.

'Can you heal him?' asked the farmer as he walked up behind his wife.

The healer shook his head as he muttered to himself. They all waited for his reply but none came and Ciri felt her frustration bubbling to the surface.

'Well?' She said as he glared at him with wide eyes.

'I will do all I can but he has been bitten by a Ghoul, I have not come across any that have lived long enough to be healed from a bite.' He replied as he pulled some herbs from his bag along with a small bowl and grinders 'I need hot water and fresh bandages.'

Zola nodded, looking at there husband with perturbed expression. He rubbed her arm lovingly and they gave each other a nod before she trotted into the kitchen to fetch the things the healer had requested.

'Come now butcher, you've come too far for you to die on us now.' said Yurga as he stepped into the room and placed a comforting hand on the princess' shoulder.

He looked at the girl who was sat watching eagerly for some sign that what Chireadan was doing was working, still holding on to his hand so tight that it was like if she let go he would float away like a leaf on the breeze. Zola entered again a few minutes later holding a pot filled with a steaming pot of water, and fresh bandages draped over her arm.

'Here.' she said as she placed the pot on the table beside the bed and handed the elf the fresh bandages 'anything else I can do?'

'No' he replied as he scooped the some of the water into his small bowl and began stewing the herbs in it, crushing them with the grinder until they combined into a paste.

He placed the paste down beside the pot and dipped one of the bandages into the hot water and started to clean the wound. This brought Geralt round somewhat and he yelled at the pain that had woken him. Cirilla jumped to his side, placing his head in her lap she stroked his hair and watched as he relaxed to her touch. The healer then applied the paste onto the watcher's wound, before binding his leg again.

'That is all I can.' he said as he wiped the leftover paste on his fingers onto a rag in his bag.

'How do you and Geralt know each other?" Quizzed the princess as she looked up at the Elf.

'I saved a friend of his… A bard named Jaskier.' he replied 'he then somehow managed to seduce the woman I loved. Yennefer.'

_That name again_ Siri thought to herself _who is she? _

She opened her mouth ready to push the elf further but no words left her lips. She stood and gently lowered Geralt's head back onto the pillow. Affectionately brushing the stray hairs that had stuck to his forehead away.

'He needs rest.' said Chireadan as he stood to leave.

'Are you leaving?' she asked as she looked up at the elf with searching eyes.

'Yes. I have done all I can for him.' he replied as he walked towards the door 'Mop his brow and make sure he drinks some water when he wakes… his fever could still kill him.'

With that, he left. Cirilla sat at Geralt's side, one hand dabbing at his brow with a fresh cool cloth and the other over his chest to reassure her that he was still breathing. Hours passed and she did not leave his side. She watched as his eyes danced beneath their lids, his lips slightly parted as his body continued to shiver despite his skin burning. Yurga and his wife spent some time watching her from the doorway, disturbing her only to bring fresh water and food which she did not eat.

'I did not go through hell for you to die when I find you.' she said softly as he rinsed the cloth in the bowl of water beside her 'you swore to my grandmother that you would keep me safe. Well, you can't very well do that if you are dead now can you.' she said as she placed the cloth back on his brow.

Geralt's eyes fluttered open, rested on her and he smiled. It was a soft smile, something she did not expect considering his strong rough appearance.

'I will always protect you.' he said softly as his eyes grew heavy again 'I won't die on you.' he finished as he drifted back into oblivion again.

Cirilla smiled at him and placed the cloth back into the bowl before climbing into the bed beside him. She curled up onto his chest, she felt safe with him. She had forgotten what that felt like. She closed her eyes and allowed her tiredness to finally win her over, smiling as she felt Geralt place one of his strong arms around her and pull her in close. It was at that moment that she knew she'd be okay. She was home.

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Well, there it is. I hope you enjoyed it. Please do leave me a cheeky review and tell me what you thought.


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